U.S. patent application number 17/365588 was filed with the patent office on 2022-04-28 for apparatus and method for supporting safety of driver.
This patent application is currently assigned to HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. The applicant listed for this patent is HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Woo Kuen KIM, Jin Gu KWON, Myoung Soo PARK.
Application Number | 20220126695 17/365588 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005727942 |
Filed Date | 2022-04-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220126695 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PARK; Myoung Soo ; et
al. |
April 28, 2022 |
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING SAFETY OF DRIVER
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for supporting safety of a driver are
provided. The apparatus for supporting the safety of the driver
includes a sensor to sense collision of an electric vehicle, a
voltage converter to convert down a high voltage of a high voltage
battery, which is provided in the electric vehicle, to a low
voltage and to supply the low voltage to a safety device, and a
controller to activate the voltage converter in the state that
power is not supplied to the safety device provided in the electric
vehicle due to the collision, such that the driver is supported to
be escaped from the electric vehicle while preparing for a
secondary collision with the following vehicle, in the state that
power is not supplied to various safety devices provided in the
electric vehicle due to a car collision accident.
Inventors: |
PARK; Myoung Soo;
(Yongin-si, KR) ; KIM; Woo Kuen; (Seoul, KR)
; KWON; Jin Gu; (Seoul, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA CORPORATION |
Seoul
Seoul |
|
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
Seoul
KR
KIA CORPORATION
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
1000005727942 |
Appl. No.: |
17/365588 |
Filed: |
July 1, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60L 2210/10 20130101;
B60N 2/04 20130101; B60Q 3/20 20170201; B60L 1/00 20130101; B60L
53/20 20190201; B60R 25/01 20130101; B60R 21/0132 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60L 1/00 20060101
B60L001/00; B60L 53/20 20060101 B60L053/20; B60R 21/0132 20060101
B60R021/0132; B60Q 3/20 20060101 B60Q003/20; B60R 25/01 20060101
B60R025/01; B60N 2/04 20060101 B60N002/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 22, 2020 |
KR |
10-2020-0137820 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for supporting safety of a driver, the apparatus
comprising: a sensor configured to sense collision of an electric
vehicle; a voltage converter configured to: convert down a high
voltage of a high voltage battery to a low voltage, and supply the
low voltage to a safety device, wherein the high voltage battery
and the safety device are provided in the electric vehicle; and a
controller configured to activate the voltage converter in a state
that power is not supplied to the safety device due to the
collision.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured
to: receive a signal for notifying a power cut-off from a power
manager provided in the electric vehicle.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the safety device includes: at
least one of an airbag system, an emergency lamp system, a door
system, an electric seat system, or an emergency call system.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured
to: control the emergency lamp system to turn on or turn off an
emergency lamp provided in the electric vehicle.
5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured
to: control the door system to unlock a door provided in the
electric vehicle.
6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured
to: control the electric seat system to move an electric seat of
the electric vehicle rearward.
7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured
to: control the emergency call system to call an emergency rescue
team.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a gravity
acceleration sensor.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the voltage converter is a low
voltage DC-DC converter (LDC).
10. A method for supporting safety of a driver, the method
comprising: sensing, by a sensor, collision of an electric vehicle;
activating, by a controller, a voltage converter in a state that
power is not supplied to a safety device provided in the electric
vehicle due to the collision; and converting down, by the voltage
converter, a high voltage of a high voltage battery of the electric
vehicle to a low voltage and supplying the low voltage to the
safety device.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein activating the voltage
converter includes: receiving a signal for notifying a power
cut-off from a power manager provided in the electric vehicle.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the safety device includes: at
least one of an airbag system, an emergency lamp system, a door
system, an electric seat system, or an emergency call system.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: controlling, by the
controller, the emergency lamp system to turn on or turn off an
emergency lamp provided in the electric vehicle.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: controlling, by the
controller, the door system to unlock a door provided in the
electric vehicle.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: controlling, by the
controller, the electric seat system to move an electric seat of
the electric vehicle rearward.
16. The method of claim 12, further comprising: controlling, by the
controller, the emergency call system to call an emergency rescue
team.
17. The method of claim 10, wherein the sensor is a gravity
acceleration sensor.
18. The method of claim 10, wherein the voltage converter is a low
voltage DC-DC converter (LDC).
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0137820, filed on Oct. 22,
2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a technology of supporting
the safety of a driver in the state that the collision accident of
an electric vehicle occurs.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The statements in this section merely provide background
information related to the present disclosure and may not
constitute prior art.
[0004] In general, an electric vehicle, which is traveling by
driving an electric motor using a high voltage battery, may include
a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), an electric vehicle (EV), a
plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or a fuel cell electric
vehicle (FCEV).
[0005] The electric vehicle may include a high voltage battery to
supply power for driving, a low voltage DC-DC converter to convert
down a high voltage of the high voltage battery to a voltage for
charging an auxiliary battery such that the auxiliary battery is
charged, or to convert down the high voltage of the high voltage
battery to a low voltage (for example, 12 V) to be supplied to an
internal electric device (electronic part load) through a power
manager, and an auxiliary battery to supply operating power to the
internal electric device.
[0006] A typical power manager is equipped with a number of fuses,
which prevent overcurrent or overload from being transmitted to an
external circuit, or relays which open and close a power supply,
such that battery power is supplied and distributed, and a wire is
protected. In addition, the typical power manager may receive and
protect various devices (fuses or relays) provided therein, and may
rapidly radiate heat from the devices, such that an operating
efficiency of the devices is maintained.
[0007] Recently, a smart power manager or an integrated central
unit (ICU) has been introduced to supply a battery current to an
electric load, to control the electric load, and to cut off the
overcurrent, and to sense a load current by using a semiconductor
switch in place of the relay or the fuse.
[0008] The ICU includes an intelligent power switch (IPS), which is
a kind of a semiconductor switch device, and a micro control unit
(MCU) to control the IPS, and controls power applied to the
electric load through the IPS operating in response to a control
signal of the MCU.
[0009] The IPS is significantly weak for electrical stress.
Accordingly, when an electric short occurs, a progressive defect
may be internally caused due to the electrical stress.
[0010] Meanwhile, when the collision accident of the electric
vehicle occurs, as a power cable between the auxiliary battery and
the power manager may be disconnected or shorted, power is not
often supplied to the internal electric device. When the power
supplied to the internal electric vehicle of the electric vehicle
is cut off, secondary collision with a following vehicle may not be
prepared (for example, an airbag may not be deployed, or an
emergency lamp may not be turned on or off), and the escape of the
driver may not be supported. Accordingly, the safety of the driver
may not be supported.
[0011] Accordingly, there is required a scheme to support the
operations of various safety devices provided in an electric
vehicle (to supply power), in the situation that the power is not
supplied to the internal electric device provided in the electric
vehicle due to the collision accident.
[0012] The matter described in "BACKGROUND" is made for the
convenience of explanation, and may include matters other than a
related art well known to those skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
[0013] The present disclosure has been made to solve the
above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art while
advantages achieved by the prior art are maintained intact.
[0014] An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an
apparatus and a method for supporting safety of a driver, capable
of controlling a low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC) to convert down
a high voltage of a high voltage battery to a low voltage (for
example, 12 V) and to supply the low voltage to a power manager, in
the state that power is not supplied to various safety devices
provided in an electric vehicle due to the collision accident, and
of controlling an operation of the safety device, thereby
supporting the escape of the driver while preparing for secondary
collision with the following vehicle.
[0015] The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosed
are not limited to the aforementioned problems, and any other
technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood
from the following description by those skilled in the art to which
the present disclosure pertains. In addition, it can be easily
understood that the objects and the features of the present
disclosure are realized by means and the combination of the means
claimed in appended claims.
[0016] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an
apparatus for supporting safety of a driver may include a sensor to
sense collision of an electric vehicle, a voltage converter to
convert down a high voltage of a high voltage battery, which is
provided in the electric vehicle, to a low voltage and to supply
the low voltage to a safety device, and a controller to activate
the voltage converter in the state that power is not supplied to
the safety device provided in the electric vehicle due to the
collision.
[0017] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the controller may receive a signal for notifying power cut off
from a power manager provided in the electric vehicle.
[0018] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the safety device may include at least one of an airbag system, an
emergency lamp system, a door system, an electric seat system, or
an emergency call system.
[0019] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the controller may control the emergency lamp system to turn on or
turn off an emergency lamp provided in the electric vehicle.
[0020] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the controller may control the door system to unlock a door
provided in the electric vehicle.
[0021] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the controller may control the electric seat system to move
rearward an electric seat provided in the electric vehicle.
[0022] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the controller may control the emergency call system to call an
emergency rescue team.
[0023] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the sensor may be a gravity acceleration sensor.
[0024] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the voltage converter may be a low voltage DC-DC converter
(LDC).
[0025] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a
method for supporting safety of a driver may include sensing, by a
sensor, collision of an electric vehicle, activating, by a
controller, a voltage converter in a state that power is not
supplied to a safety device provided in the electric vehicle due to
the collision, and converting down, by the voltage converter, a
high voltage of a high voltage battery, which is provided in the
electric vehicle, to a low voltage to supply the low voltage to the
safety device.
[0026] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the method may include receiving a signal for notifying power cut
off from a power manager provided in the electric vehicle.
[0027] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the method may further include controlling, by the controller, the
emergency lamp system to turn on or turn off an emergency lamp
provided in the electric vehicle.
[0028] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the method may further include controlling, by the controller, the
door system to unlock a door provided in the electric vehicle.
[0029] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the method may further include controlling, by the controller, the
electric seat system to move rearward an electric seat provided in
the electric vehicle.
[0030] According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure,
the method may further include controlling, by the controller, the
emergency call system to call an emergency rescue team.
[0031] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. It should be understood that the
description and specific examples are intended for purposes of
illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the
present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0032] In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there
will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of
example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0033] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an
apparatus for supporting safety of a driver, according to an
exemplary form of the present disclosure;
[0034] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting
safety of a driver, according to an exemplary form of the present
disclosure;
[0035] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a sensor
provided in an apparatus for supporting safety of a driver,
according to another form of the present disclosure;
[0036] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a power
manager internetworking with an apparatus for supporting safety of
a driver, according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure;
and
[0037] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system to
execute a method for supporting safety of a driver, according to an
exemplary form of the present disclosure.
[0038] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes
only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure in any way.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0039] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and
is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or
uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings,
corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding
parts and features.
[0040] Hereinafter, some forms of the present disclosure will be
described in detail with reference to the exemplary drawings. In
adding the reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it
should be noted that the identical or equivalent component is
designated by the identical numeral even when they are displayed on
other drawings. Further, in describing the form of the present
disclosure, a detailed description of well-known features or
functions will be ruled out in order not to unnecessarily obscure
the gist of the present disclosure.
[0041] In addition, in the following description of components
according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure, the terms
`first`, `second`, `B`, `(a)`, and `(b)` may be used. These terms
are merely intended to distinguish one component from another
component, and the terms do not limit the nature, sequence or order
of the constituent components. In addition, unless otherwise
defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific
tams, have the same meanings as those generally understood by those
skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Such
terms as those defined in a generally used dictionary are to be
interpreted as having meanings equal to the contextual meanings in
the relevant field of art, and are not to be interpreted as having
ideal or excessively formal meanings unless clearly defined as
having such in the present application.
[0042] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an
apparatus for supporting safety of a driver, according to an
exemplary form of the present disclosure.
[0043] As illustrated in FIG. 1, an apparatus 100 for supporting
safety of a driver may include a storage 10, a sensor 20, a low
voltage DC-DC converter (LDC) 30, and a controller 40. In some
forms of the present disclosure, the components may be combined
into each other to be implemented in one form, or some components
may be omitted, depending on the manners of reproducing the
apparatus 100 for supporting the safety of the driver.
[0044] In one form, an electric vehicle may include a high voltage
battery 200 to supply driving power, a low voltage battery 300, a
power manager 400 to supply power to a safety device 500, and the
safety device 500. In this case, the safety device 500 may include
various electric loads (electric devices) such as an airbag system
510, an emergency lamp system 520, a door system 530, an electric
seat system 540, or an emergency lamp system 550. In this case, the
power manager 400 is referred to as a "junction block". When power
is not supplied from the low voltage battery 300 (due to the
failure of the low voltage battery 300 or a power cable
disconnected), the power manager 400 may notify the controller 40
of that the power is not supplied. In addition, the power manager
400 may monitor a timeout state of a vehicle network to determine
whether power supplied to the safety device 500 is cut off.
[0045] Regarding the above-described components, the storage 10 may
store various logics, various algorithms, and various programs
required in the process of controlling the LDC 30 to convert down
the high voltage of the high voltage battery 200 to the low voltage
(for example, 12 V) and to supply the low voltage to the power
manager 400, in the state that power is not supplied to various
safety devices 500 provided in the electric vehicle due to the
collision accident, and of controlling the operation of the safety
device 500.
[0046] The storage 10 may include at least one storage medium of a
memory in a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a micro type, the
type of a card (e.g., a Security Digital (SD) card or an eXtreme
digital card), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Static RAM (SRAM), a
Read Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Electrically
Erasable and Programmable ROM (EEPROM), a magnetic RAM (MRAM), a
magnetic disk-type memory, or an optical disk-type memory.
[0047] The sensor 20, which is a sensor to sense the collision of
the electric vehicle, may be implemented with, for example, a
gravity acceleration sensor.
[0048] The LDC 30, which is a kind of a voltage converter, may
convert down a high voltage of the high voltage battery 200 to a
low voltage and may supply the low voltage to the power manager
400.
[0049] The controller 40 may perform the overall control such that
the components normally perform the respective functions. In
addition, the controller 40 may be implemented in the form of
hardware or software, and may be implemented in the form of the
combination of the hardware and the software. In one form, the
controller 40 may be implemented with a micro-processor, but the
present disclosure is not limited thereto.
[0050] In particular, the controller 40 may control the LDC 30 to
convert down the high voltage of the high voltage battery 200 to
the low voltage (for example, 12 V), and to supply the low voltage
to the power manager 400, in the state that power is not supplied
to various safety devices 500 provided in the electric vehicle due
to the collision accident. In addition, the controller 40 may
perform various control operations in the process of controlling
the operation of the safety device 500.
[0051] The controller 40 may determine the collision of the
electric vehicle through the sensor 20. In this case, the
controller 40 may determine the collision of the electric vehicle
through an airbag system provided in the electric vehicle.
[0052] The controller 40 may receive a signal for notifying a power
cut-off, from the power manager 400. In this case, the signal for
notifying the power cut-off is a signal for notifying that the
power supplied from the low voltage battery 300 is cut off.
[0053] The controller 40 may control the LDC 30 to convert down the
high voltage of the high voltage battery 200 to the low voltage
(for example, 12 V) and to supply the low voltage to the power
manager 400, regardless of whether the starting of the electric
vehicle is completely prepared (start on/off). Then, the power
manager 400 supplies power to various safety devices 500.
[0054] The controller 40 may control the emergency lamp system 520
to turn on/off an emergency lamp to notify the following vehicle of
an accident.
[0055] The controller 40 may control the door system 530 to unlock
a door to help the driver rapidly escape from an electric vehicle
subject to the accident.
[0056] The controller 40 may control the electric seat system 540
to move rearward an electric seat to help the driver rapidly escape
from the electric vehicle subject to the accident.
[0057] The controller 40 may control the emergency call system 550
to call an emergency rescue team.
[0058] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting
safety of a driver, according to an exemplary form of the present
disclosure.
[0059] First, the sensor 20 senses the collision of the electric
vehicle (201).
[0060] Thereafter, the controller 40 activates the LDC 30, in the
state that the power is not supplied to the safety device 500
provided in the electronic device due to the collision (202).
[0061] Thereafter, the LDC 30 converts down the high voltage of the
high voltage battery 200, which is provided in the electric
vehicle, to a low voltage and supplies the low voltage to the
safety device 500 (203).
[0062] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a sensor
provided in an apparatus for supporting safety of a driver,
according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure.
[0063] First, the sensor 20 monitors whether the electric vehicle
collides (301).
[0064] Thereafter, the sensor 20 transmits a collision signal to
the controller, when collision occurs in the electric vehicle (302
and 303). In this case, the process of determining whether the
collision occurs in the electric vehicle may be performed by the
controller 40.
[0065] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a power
manager internetworking with an apparatus for supporting safety of
a driver, according to an exemplary form of the present
disclosure.
[0066] First, the power manager 400 monitors power (a voltage)
supplied from the low voltage battery 300 (401).
[0067] Thereafter, when the power supplied from the low voltage
battery 300 is cut off (402), the power manager 400 notifies the
power cut off to the controller 40 (403).
[0068] Thereafter, the power manager 400 determines whether power
is supplied from LDC 30 (404).
[0069] When the power is not supplied from the LDC 30 as the
determination result (404), the power manager 400 determines
whether the power is supplied from the LDC 30 again after standby
for a reference time (405).
[0070] When the power is supplied from the LDC 30 as the
determination result (404), the power manager 400 supplies the
power to the safety device 500 (406). When the power is supplied to
the safety device 500, the airbag system 510 may deploy an airbag
in secondary collision with the following vehicle (for example, a
side-airbag is deployed in side collision), the emergency lamp
system 520 may turn on or turn off an emergency lamp to warn a
driver of the following vehicle, the door system 530 may unlock a
door such that the driver rapidly escape from the vehicle, the
electric seat system 540 may move rearward an electric seat such
that the driver rapidly escape from the vehicle, and the emergency
call system 550 may transmit an emergency call to an emergency
rescue team, a police station, a fire station, or a telematics
server, such that the driver may rapidly escape from the
vehicle.
[0071] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system to
execute the method for supporting the safety of the driver,
according to another form of the present disclosure.
[0072] Referring to FIG. 5, the method for supporting the safety of
the driver may be implemented through the computing system. A
computing system 1000 may include at least one processor 1100, a
memory 1300, a user interface input device 1400, a user interface
output device 1500, a storage 1600, and a network interface 1700,
which are connected with each other via a system bus 1200.
[0073] The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or
a semiconductor device for processing instructions stored in the
memory 1300 and/or the storage 1600. Each of the memory 1300 and
the storage 1600 may include various types of volatile or
non-volatile storage media. For example, the memory 1300 may
include a read only ROM 1310 and a RAM 1320.
[0074] Thus, the operations of the methods or algorithms described
in connection with the forms disclosed in the present disclosure
may be directly implemented with a hardware module, a software
module, or the combinations thereof, executed by the processor
1100. The software module may reside on a storage medium (i.e., the
memory 1300 and/or the storage 1600), such as a RAM memory, a flash
memory, a ROM, memory an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an
electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disc, a solid state
drive (SSD), a removable disc, or a compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM). The
exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor 1100. The
processor 1100 may read out information from the storage medium and
may write information in the storage medium. Alternatively, the
storage medium may be integrated with the processor 1100. The
processor and storage medium may reside in an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user terminal.
Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside as
separate components of the user terminal.
[0075] As described above, according to an exemplary form of the
present disclosure, in the apparatus and the method for supporting
safety of the driver, the low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC) may be
controlled to convert down the high voltage of the high voltage
battery to the low voltage (for example, 12 V) and to supply the
low voltage to the power manager, in the state that the power is
not supplied to various safety devices provided in then electric
vehicle due to the collision accident, and the operation of the
safety device may be controlled, thereby supporting the escape of
the driver while preparing for the secondary collision with the
following vehicle.
[0076] Hereinabove, although the present disclosure has been
described with reference to exemplary forms and the accompanying
drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, but may be
variously modified and altered by those skilled in the art to which
the present disclosure pertains without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present disclosure claimed in the following
claims.
[0077] Therefore, the exemplary forms of the present disclosure are
provided to explain the spirit and scope of the present disclosure,
but not to limit them, so that the spirit and scope of the present
disclosure is not limited by the forms. The scope of the present
disclosure should be construed on the basis of the accompanying
claims, and all the technical ideas within the scope equivalent to
the claims should be included in the scope of the present
disclosure.
* * * * *